Ad in ‘Lantern’ upsets Muslims

Many Muslim students at Ohio State University have been outraged by an ad in the student newspaper that ties former Muslim student leaders in the U.S. to terrorist groups.

The advertisement, which ran on the second page of The Lantern on Monday, lists 10 terror suspects under the headline: Former Leadersof the Muslim Student Association (MSA): Where Are They Now?

The ad also pitches a pamphlet called Muslim Hate Groups on Campus, published by FrontPage, an online publication funded by the conservative David Horowitz Freedom Center.

The center, based in Sherman Oaks, Calif., paid for the ad.

“I am offended not only as a Muslim or as a general-body member of the MSA, but as a member of the OSU community,” said Jana Al-Akhras, an 18-year-old international-studies major. “We do not stand for discrimination, hate or intolerance here.”

Al-Akhras said she doesn’t know the history of any of the listed individuals, but there can be “bad apples” in any organization.

All 10 individuals listed in the ad appear to have been linked to terrorism by authorities, but they have not all been convicted of a crime.

“I am extremely disappointed in The Lantern for allowing this ad to run. It was paid for. It is not an op-ed, and they had every right to deny it as hate speech,” Al-Akhras said.

Dan Caterinicchia, faculty adviser for The Lantern, said the newspaper can reject advertising that denigrates individuals, groups or organizations based on such things as race, nationality, ethnicity and religion.

“In this, the adviser and co-chair of the publications committee agreed that the ad did not violate the policy,” he said.

Caterinicchia added that The Lantern plans to publish a commentary on the ad in the Student View section of the paper, as well as a few letters to the editor and an “editorial response of some kind.”

The ad isn’t scheduled to run again. Caterinicchia said that the black and white quarter-page ad cost $502.42.

The Lantern has drawn criticism over ads before.

In April 2001, the newspaper’s advisory group voted to run an ad that was shunned by many other student publications. It denounced paying black Americans reparations for slavery.

David Horowitz, founder of the organization that carries his name, said Ohio State was one of the first schools his group sent the ad to, and the first to agree to run it.

He’s glad it created a stir.

“There is no other hate group that can be on campus and have public support,” he said. “I think people just have their heads in the sand, and I want to help inform them.”

OSU Undergraduate Student Government President Nick Messenger called the ad “false, bigoted and full of hate speech that doesn’t have a place on campus.”

Linda Deitch and Nathan McGuirk of The Dispatch library staff contributed to this story.

I can think of some other campus race or religion groups who could have a criminal line up for just one university. These Islamophobe fools play on the ignorance and low intelligence of others. A hate group is a specific group whose sole purpose and unifying principle is the hatred of someone. That fits them, as they are united in their hatred of Muslims and Islam. A group with possibly crummy people in it that’s uniting principle is a shared religion, is not a hate group. Calling Islam a death cult religion is so unoriginal and overdone for a rallying cry. Just one in a supposedly long line of many such types have feared, including Shinto and American Indian belief systems. The true death cult whips this up over and over as an excuse to kill others before they “come for you.”

//Seth Sesu via Facebook 26 January 2012 at 7:41 pm

I agree Seth Sesu.

//Felicia Shamoomoo Burkhardt via Facebook 26 January 2012 at 8:47 pm

NOW If I am understanding this right the goverment has certain names on a list of certain students linked to terrorists period. And if so it is not a lie, nore anymore than our freedom of speech. We Amercan have the right to know if someone among us may be involved with the wrong people. No different than what people said about Obama and his link to certain persons. Sound like it is a fact that the Goverment was checking into these former students. SO WHY ON EARTH IS THIS NOT NEWS. THINK MUSLIMS SHOULD NOT BE SO SENSITIVE. This is the USA people have their names in the paper lots of times and are accused of things by our Grand Jury’s and they may be totally not guilty. Just the same it is and can be published in the local news papers. Goes with being in a free land, and as long as they are not making up a total story. As far as this old American feels get a grip on where your living and if you do not like it. You are free to move to a better country. And go to closed mined private schools that only want to keep secrets. Thanks.

As a student there I was very shocked and disappointed. I see OSU as a place that brings together all different kinds of people. We have a large Muslim population as well. If anyone wants to see the response by the MSA and USG here it is. It is well written and reflects more of what I feel an OSU student’s response would be. http://thepulse-mag.org/2012/01/msaresponse/

Catherine, there is a tribal morality going on here. If it criticizes the tribe it is bad even if it is true. The muslim is holy and never the perp.

//anon 27 January 2012 at 7:43 am

Anon, There is not a tribal morality in here. You simply bring bull shit from whatever crappy site you get and come to try make them read your BS.

Catherine does make sense in her statement and I personally do not have a problem with it. We are free to say what ever we want, but when we insult and lie to make his message be heard then that is when we step in to counter act! Live with it man!

//Salim 27 January 2012 at 12:08 pm

I guess this is where the useful idiots come from. It is nice though to see that there are some youngsters with common sense. Read “Ivory Towers On Sand” by Kramer and “The Professors” by Horowitz. And like the lady said, if it’s the truth, it should be said. If you can’t refute it than maybe you’re one of the people we should be looking at. And yes, this gal should be scared shitless that these types of people are on her campus. Like I suggest at the beginning of this, not asking the questions is where useful idiots and people like Martin Niemoeller come from.

Larry A. Singleton
Berdoo, CA

Also read the latest article by Raymond Ibrahim, (as well as ALL his articles) “A Distrubing Event: The American Conservative Union Embraces an Islamist.” And check out the links in the article.

Read “Muslim Mafia” by Gabautz and Sperry and just for the hell of it read “The Haj” by Leon Uris